MLB Player News

Rodriguez allowed only one hit while walking three and striking out eight across five innings Thursday against the Yankees.

Rodriguez took advantage of the strikeout prone Yankees lineup, needing only eight swinging strikes to earn eight strikeouts. This was a needed strong outing for him, coming off two consecutive starts having allowed five earned runs against the Rangers and Royals. Since returning from knee surgery, Rodriguez has racked up 47 strikeouts through 37.1 innings over seven starts this season.

Nicasio (1-1) allowed four earned runs on five hits over one-third of an inning in a loss to the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

The veteran reliever faltered Wednesday, falling apart after coming on in the eighth to protect a 2-1 lead. Nicasio's troubles began immediately, as he allowed a leadoff double to Josh Donaldson, who was plated by Yangervis Solarte's two-bagger. Justin Smoak then made it back-to-back RBI doubles before Kevin Pillar drove him in with a single to deep left. Russell Martin went for extra bases against Nicasio as well before the latter got the hook, easily making it his worst appearance of the season. Although he'd gotten three full days of rest prior to Wednesday's derailment, the 31-year-old may be feeling the cumulative effects of a heavy workload to open the season -- he's now given up seven earned runs over his first five outings of May, and he's already logged 18 appearances overall this season.

Cole (4-1) picked up the win Wednesday, pitching six innings with nine strikeouts while allowing one run on four hits and three walks against the Athletics.

Cole was dominant once again, throwing first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 24 batters he faced while inducing 17 swinging strikes. He's now thrown a quality start in all eight starts since joining the Astros and is now sporting an elite 13.7 K/9 and 1.43 ERA. While it seems unlikely he'll be able to keep up this record pace over the course of a full season, Cole had a 1.54 FIP entering Wednesday's start, so this seems sustainable to a large extent. He'll next take on the Angels on Tuesday.

Perez (undisclosed) was placed on the minor-league disabled list Wednesday.

Specifics regarding the injury remain unclear at this point. Perez had a 7.20 ERA, 1.89 WHIP and 20:19 K:BB through six starts (25 innings) before landing on the shelf. He'll be eligible to return May 16 if he's ready.

Groome will undergo Tommy John surgery Tuesday, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

This is yet another tough break for the 19-year-old prospect, who has already dealt with a number of injuries during his short professional career. Groome had his 2017 season cut short by a flexor strain in his elbow that forced him to open the 2018 season on the DL, and he'll will now miss the remainder of the season and a chunk of the 2019 campaign after going under the knife.

Carrasco (5-1) allowed two runs on five hits and a walk and struck out 14 to earn a complete-game victory Wednesday over the Brewers.

The Brewers didn't score until a fielder's choice pushed a run across in the seventh inning, and they added a meaningless sacrifice fly in the ninth inning as Carrasco was nursing a five-run lead. The story for Carrasco was his curveball, which induced a ridiculous 13 swinging strikes on 39 offerings. This was an important bounce-back effort for Carrasco, who had allowed 10 earned runs over just 8.2 innings in his previous two starts. Carrasco can be one of the nastiest pitchers in the league at his best, as he showed Wednesday afternoon. The main thing holding him back is his home run problem -- he has allowed six already in just eight starts. Carrasco brought his ERA down to 3.61 with Wednesday's effort, and he'll look to keep it trending in the right direction Tuesday against Detroit.

Eovaldi (elbow) is targeting May 24 for his return from the 10-day disabled list, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After tossing 17 pitches in his first rehab outing for High-A Charlotte on May 4, Eovaldi will return to the mound for the club Wednesday and is expected to bump up his pitch count. It will mark the second of four planned rehab outings for Eovaldi, who will likely make his final two starts at Triple-A Durham before filling the final vacancy in the Rays' four-man rotation. The Rays have reportedly been encouraged by Eovaldi's velocity during bullpen sessions and his first rehab start, so it would seem that he has recovered as anticipated after undergoing surgery March 30 to remove cartilage pieces from his right elbow.

Rodriguez was moved up a day in the Red Sox's pitching schedule and will make his next start Thursday against the Yankees in New York rather than Friday in Toronto, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

David Price was initially scheduled to pitch in the three-game series with the Yankees, but he was pushed back after developing numbness in his throwing hand that was later diagnosed as a mild case of Carpal tunnel syndrome. Price will throw a bullpen session Thursday and is hopeful to start in Toronto over the weekend, but the unexpected setback will nonetheless result in Rodriguez trading a tough matchup at Rogers Centre for an even more difficult one at Yankee Stadium. Heading into play Wednesday, the Yankees owned a 126 team wRC+ at home to lead the majors by a sizable margin.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Wednesday that Bridwell (elbow) is nearing a return to game action for Triple-A Salt Lake, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Bridwell hasn't pitched for the affiliate since April 16 while batting right elbow inflammation. The 26-year-old previously made a spot start for the big club earlier this season, but there aren't expected to be any openings in the Angels' rotation by the time Bridwell is deemed ready pitch again, as Nick Tropeano (shoulder) should be back from the 10-day disabled list by the weekend.

Verlander will take the mound against Texas on Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Verlander will remain on regular rest as manager A.J. Hinch decided to push Charlie Morton back another day, as the latter will now toe the rubber Saturday. During his latest outing against Arizona on Sunday, Verlander allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out eight over six innings, and picked up his first loss of the season. Through eight starts in 2018, he's posted a 1.17 ERA and 0.71 WHIP with a 70:11 K:BB in 53.2 innings.